Way to go Grace

As I was loading the Malibu for the return trip to C-town from a fantastic weekend with my family, I did something absolutely cool. It was one of those moments that upon reporting family members often reply, "Way to go Grace." The only problem I see with this apparent term of endearment is that my name is not Grace. I had a great-grandmother named Grace but we disagreed on fundamental truths such as the fact that all dogs DO NOT go to heaven and lace should never, under any circumstances, be sewn on t-shirts and subsequently I did not receive her ever-popular epithet. Anyway, as I balanced a box of winter gear and a bag of storage room groceries while attempting to heave open my trunk a precious bottle of pears slipped from it's cushioned position atop my wool coat and crashed onto the driveway. One would think that gravity could have shown a little mercy and chosen to disengage it's magic pull. However, as I looked at the shattered mess of glass and mushed pink party pears I realized that gravity could really care less.Ah-ha, a metaphor. This unseen, and mostly unexplained, phenomenon of gravity is a little bit like the unseen and mostly unexplained workings of the adversary. Even when we think that we are bundled in a protective coat of righteousness, safe from the hard and shattering surface of this fallen world we find ourselves tried and tested. The popular axiom, "Bad things happen to good people" can at times seem especially evident in the lives of the righteous. Children and elderly stricken with cancer, untimely deaths, failing businesses, natural disasters, injuries, discrimination, and the all times favorite, neighbors seem to afflict those who are trying their hardest to follow the path and hold to the rod. Our lives then become a little like the smashed bottle of pears. Shards of glass and squished pears cover our feet every time we try to get the mail, walk the dog or pull out the car. However, what we do with the mess on our driveways is the most important.

After shaking my head at gravity, I went into the house to retrieve some cleaning supplies prepared to hear the inevitable, "Way to go Grace". However, after admitting my coolness to my mom, she quickly jumped up to help. We gathered most of the glass and pears in plastic bags and then my brilliant mother suggested the shop-vac. Thank you Hoover. After vacuuming up the remainder of the mess, mom covered the affected area with water in an attempt to wash away the remaining shards. Of course some minute class shards will remain in the sticky mess on our cobblestone, but for the most part my graceful move is mostly cleaned up. The emotional damage my mom suffered after seeing one of her precious pear bottles smashed will eventually be overcome. . with time.When dealing with the sticky messes on life's driveways it takes something a little more than our own ingenuity and cleaning supplies. In fact it takes a little grace; the Lord's grace. The bible dictionary describes grace as a "divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ." It is through His grace that Christ sends us earthly angels with plastic bags and vacuuming to help us pick up the glass and mush, and if this is not enough, we can use His redeeming sacrifice to wash away any shards that remain. His mercy and love supercede any trial or test. Only through the grace of our Savior can we rid our driveways, and our hearts, of any mess left behind by the adversary. So, next time you find yourself doing something really cool while loading the car with an armful of stuff just remind yourself, "Way to go Grace".